St Mary the Virgin has been the home to a worshipping community from the village and the surrounding area for nearly 1000 years.
Sir Francis Drake's father was vicar here in the sixteenth century. The church is memorable for its odd spire, a little like that at Bexley. It is four-sided to start with and suddenly changes into an octagon a third of the way up. There seems to be no structural reason for this change and it may purely be for decorative purposes. Inside the church there is much work of the thirteenth century including three sedilia which, unusually, stand under the arch to the south chapel. The arch is finished by a very crisply carved head (possibly too crisp - it may result from Blomfield`s restoration of the church in 1875). Behind the sedilia, separating the seats from the chapel, is a charming wooden screen, with nine tall ogee-headed arches and a panel of pierced trefoils and quatrefoils. Both north and south chapels contain fragments of medieval glass while in the north chapel you may find a collection of medieval tiles, including one that shows a hunched figure with a staff and hat - possibly representing a pilgrim. This is a particularly rewarding church that stands in a little-visited part of the county.
To find the cache you will need to find some information around the church and then complete the following sums to give you the final location which is just a short walk away and will give you some nice views.
A = How many trees are shown on the gates on the south side entrance to the Church yard.
B = How many letters are on the gate with the least words.
C = How many words are on the right hand gate if viewed from the road.
D = There is a plaque in the grounds of the church that tells of the chimes, what year is mentioned 19D8.
E = How many lines of text are on the plaque.
F = The spire changes towards the top, how many sides does this have.
G = How many sides does the lower part of the spire have.
N51 (B-E+A).G(B-G)F
E0 (Ax2).(C+D)E(B-G)